What Is a Health Care Sharing Ministry? How Health Sharing Works
Members send a monthly contribution and share each other's eligible medical bills under written guidelines. Here's how that works and what it doesn't promise.
Health Sharing Basics guides
A health care sharing ministry is not insurance. Members agree to share one another's eligible medical bills under written guidelines, and no payment is guaranteed. These guides explain the mechanics, the trade-offs and the questions to ask before you join.
All health sharing basics articles
Health Sharing vs. Insurance: 8 Differences That Matter
A health share can cost less per month, but it is not insurance. Here are the legal and practical differences regulators point to.
Health Shares and Pre-Existing Conditions: How the Rules Usually Work
Most health shares limit sharing for conditions you had before joining, often phasing it in over years. Here's how to read the rules.
Is Health Sharing a Good Idea? Who It Fits and Who Should Skip It
Health sharing suits some households and is a poor fit for others. Use this checklist before you cancel or skip insurance.
Is a Health Share the Same as Insurance Coverage?
'Coverage' means a legal promise to pay. Health shares don't make that promise. Here's what the word means and what you get instead.
How to Know If a Health Share Will Pay a Medical Bill
There's no guarantee, but you can greatly reduce surprises. A step-by-step checklist for checking whether a bill is eligible for sharing.
Health Sharing vs. Other Types of Health Coverage
Marketplace, job-based, Medicare and Medicaid are all forms of health coverage. Health sharing isn't. Here's how they line up.
What Do Health Share Plans Pay For? Eligible Expenses vs. Exclusions
Health shares don't 'cover' anything, but their guidelines list what's eligible for sharing. Here's what's typically in and out.
Health Share With No Waiting Period? How Fast Membership and Coverage Can Start
A health share can be joined any time of year, but sharing is limited at first. Here's how start dates and waiting periods compare with insurance.
Health Sharing vs. Short-Term Health Insurance: Temporary Options Compared
Both are cheaper alternatives to ACA plans with fewer protections, but one is insurance and the other isn't. Here's how they differ.
Topics we're working on
- Health sharing and HSAs: what to know
- How to submit a sharing request
- Health sharing for self-employed families
- Maternity and health sharing: waiting periods explained
From other topics
America's HealthShare Review: Programs, Costs and Guidelines
We read America's HealthShare's published guidelines and pricing so you don't have to: programs, limits, pre-existing rules, pros and cons.
America's HealthShare vs. Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM)
Two faith-based health shares with very different structures. Here are the published numbers and rules side by side.
America's HealthShare Cost: RED vs. WHITE vs. BLUE Explained
RED, WHITE and BLUE differ in price, eligibility and what's shared. Here are the published numbers side by side.